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In honor of Veterans Day, we wanted to take a moment to express our gratitude for the brave sacrifices of the more than 1.4 million Texas men and women that have dedicated themselves to defending our country.
We also wanted to spotlight programs and services that help members of our armed forces live comfortably in the communities they’ve worked to protect as a modest way of showing our appreciation.
TSAHC’S TOOLS FOR VETERAN HOME Buyers
If there’s one thing that excites us, it’s our ability to help veterans on their path to buying a home. Our Home for Texas Heroes program is a home buyer assistance program designed to help veterans buy a home by offering down payment assistance worth up to 5% of the mortgage loan amount.
In fact, veterans who pair TSAHC’s down payment assistance (DPA) with a Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) are eligible to receive their MCC for free (a $500 savings)! An MCC reduces the federal income tax liability every year, allowing home buyers that claim it to save thousands over the life of a loan.
Other Home Buying Resources for Veterans
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: provides a home loan guaranty benefit to help veterans buy, build, repair, retain, or adapt a home to suit their occupancy needs. Although VA loans require zero down payment, they can also be paired with other programs such as TSAHC’s Homes for Texas Heroes program.
- Texas Veteran’s Land Board: provides low-interest land, home, and home improvement loans that require little or no down payment. The home loan program also offers an interest rate reduction to qualifying veterans with a disability.
- Pen-Fed Foundation: periodically offers grants for down payments to veterans who are first-time homebuyers.
TSAHC’S COMMITMENT TO HOUSING VETERANS
In addition to our home buyer programs, TSAHC has been committed to helping communities empower individuals experiencing homelessness. Research shows that, due to poverty and lack of support and social isolation after discharge, veterans are 50% more likely to become homeless than civilians.
We partner with the Center for Supportive Housing (CSH) to host the Texas Supportive Housing Institute, an initiative that provides training to developers that want to build Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) designed for people experiencing homelessness.
A team from our 2021 Institute, Solutions for Veterans, is building 34 units of PSH for veterans experiencing homelessness in Waco. And while that community will serve veterans exculsively, other institute teams are designating veterans as a priority population to serve in their PSH communities.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Below are several additional resources that can help Texas veterans find employment, access legal resources, and obtain several other important services.
Employment Resources
- Texas Workforce Commission: connects returning veterans with employment and training resources, as well as medical, benefits, and educational assistance.
- HireHeroesUSA: provides personalized employment training and corporate engagement to create job opportunities for veterans and their spouses.
- Brenham Community Center also pointed us to this collection of business ideas for veterans, put together by Commercial Capital Training Group.
- This veteran’s guide to starting a small business and article on how to fund a business were also helpfully provided by Cadet Ryan Cirbo.
Legal Resources
- State Bar of Texas: supports pro bono legal clinics throughout Texas for military veterans who cannot afford to access the legal services they need.
- Texas Legal Services Center: provides free legal assistance via telephone to Texas veterans, with an emphasis on serving disabled veterans in rural areas of the state.
General Resources
On the House blog posts are meant to provide general information on various housing-related issues, research and programs. We are not liable for any errors or inaccuracies in the information provided by blog sources. Furthermore, this blog is not legal advice and should not be used as a substitute for legal advice from a licensed professional attorney.
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